Chapter 8- Separation and Solitude
WOW! Has it been a long time. Almost four months now! Well, for those of you who still remember this story, (which can't be many of you so you might want to check back on previous chapters), hello again! I am so sorry about the long delay in updates, things have been hectic. And I lost the Teen Titans channel! No! But anyway, I'm hopefully going to keep writing. Still, be wary that another update might take a while.
Phew! Well, sit back and read!
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The evening sun gently shifted its gaze, breaking shadows apart and lifting light from the city. The quiet nocturnal breezes echoed soundly through the hollow buildings and stores and blew past the dreary emptiness of the town. The holiday cheer was over, for now, and as the electricity and frequent buzz of the holiday excitement in the air gently declined, a new feeling approached the island. The Tower was an entirely different case than the city indeed, and not even the citizens of the bustling cities could disagree. All traces of happiness had noticeably been swiped clean from the air, filtered out through the many cracks and holes lingering in the household. All smiles, were gone with the breeze as fast as it came; swept away with the howling wind…
"Ok, guys, this has gone on long enough," declared Robin sharply. "I am sick and tired of cleaning up messes and having to stop you two from blowing up the Tower." He paced anxiously across the carpeted floor, his hands entwined behind his back. The Titans sat in various places around the room, each waiting nervously to see what their leader had to say.
Raven sat on the couch, her hood up and hiding her eyes. What could be seen of her face showed no visible sign of life. Beast Boy sat nestled close to the fire, and said nothing. He rocked back and forth slowly, not smiling.
Cyborg and Starfire waited patiently at the other end of the room, awaiting the leader's instructions.
"They're gonna get it good," whispered Cyborg.
"For ruining the celebrations of Christmas holiday?" asked Starfire.
"Uh huh."
Robin paced the floor quickly. "So I've decided on a decision that will affect all of us, but will hopefully help you, -" Robin pointed to Beast Boy. "-And you," he said, gesturing to Raven. Beast Boy's eye twitched involuntarily. Raven sniffed ignorantly.
"From today going for two weeks," the Boy Wonder continued. "Every Titan here will be separated along the globe, so that each one is in solitude. This is not breaking up the team forever, just for two weeks so that everybody can have some peace and quiet. Raven and Beast Boy are going to places on opposite ends of the world, so that they can't cause any more damage while they think about what's happened. I've assigned trained psychiatrists to their households to help them think."
Everyone's mouths hung open. A dead silence flattened the air like a dull blade.
"I don't need a psychiatrist." Raven's cold voice pierced the air. "I'm psychic. Or have you forgotten that?" She lifted her hood from her face and gave Robin a cold stare.
"You may be psychic," said Robin. "But I think you need one to help you see what's going on before your very eyes." His piercing eyes settled it. "You too, Beast Boy," he added. The shape-shifter nodded vigorously, not bothering to argue. Arguing with Robin was pointless…any fool could see that.
"So, where are we going?" asked Cyborg.
"Starfire is going to Venice, Italy with me, because I didn't have enough money for a ticket to anywhere else," announced Robin cheerfully. "The airlines gave a buy one get one free offer to us because we were the Titans," he added, seeing confused looks. "It seemed like a shame to pass the offer up!" He shrugged.
"Anyway, Cyborg, you're going to Norway. Beast Boy is going to stay here. And Raven is going to Alaska."
"Alaska?" said Raven. "There is no way in heaven or hell I am going to Alaska." Her eyes flickered dangerously, and Beast Boy edged further away from her. But Robin wasn't intimidated.
Robin nodded. "I thought it would be something like that. But here's the deal. It's either you go to Alaska, or you and Beast Boy go to Alaska." Robin smiled. "You choose."
Any color left in Raven's face drained in a second. "I'm going to Alaska. By myself," she said icily, glaring at Beast Boy. The boy recoiled slightly.
"How come Beast Boy gets to stay here?" asked Cyborg.
"Because he'd die living anywhere else but here for two weeks," explained Robin. The metal man snickered, and Beast Boy shot him a look.
Then Starfire spoke up. "Robin? How are we to communicate with foreign citizens if we cannot speak their language?"
"Good question, Star," said the Boy Wonder. He walked over to a closet and pulled out a few immensely thick books.
"Here," he said. He tossed a different book to each person, except for Beast Boy.
"How to Learn French in Two Weeks," read Starfire aloud. "How convenient!"
Robin grinned. "The place where you are going speaks a different language. Those books will help you to understand what the natives are saying."
The Titans nodded. "When do we leave?" asked Cyborg.
"Start packing. You leave in 24 hours." The Titans reluctantly went to work.
"Isn't this kind of sudden?" asked Beast Boy. "I mean, they just got their 'place' and their translator books now."
Robin stared at him for a long time. "You're right, Beast Boy." The shape-shifter grinned. The Boy Wonder cleared his throat.
"I've just changed my mind. You're leaving in two hours!" he yelled.
Three cries of "What?!" echoed through the Tower.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" came Cyborg's voice. "How are we going to do that?"
Robin sighed and his weary eyes wandered the room. "Pack quickly," he suggested sarcastically. Frustrated groans were heard throughout the Tower.
The Boy Wonder himself moseyed off to his room. The minute the door was shut, he gave a huge sigh of relief. Everything is going according to plan, he thought, and a grin couldn't help but kick loose. "Cyborg sure had a good idea," he said. "I can't wait to see this." He smiled, and raced to pack his things.
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"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," Raven chanted. The psychic rose into the air, her arms up and her eyes a flashing white.
Six sets of clothes levitated out of the closet and into Raven's suitcase. An old book of spells and incantations leaped through the air and landed in a heap in a bag. The enchanted mirror and other assorted objects from around her room criss-crossed like bullets around the room and landed neatly inside another. Finally, with the last suitcase packed and ready to go, Raven's eyes faded back to normal and she levitated back to the ground.
"Sometimes being psychic can be a good thing," she murmured as she examined her luggage. Her eyes narrowed a little as she concluded that she was missing something.
"Ah, yes." Raven lifted an arm, and a couple of tags made their way across the room into her open palm. She quickly scribbled her name and phone number, and then attached them to her luggage. Finally, taking each one in her hand, she carefully printed 'Alaska' on them. Looking at her stuffed briefcases, the girl couldn't help but sigh. I cannot believe he's actually making us do this, she thought. What does he think this will solve? Getting Beast Boy and I back together as friends? Whatever. She chanted her magical words, and the suitcases were enveloped in black as they took off from the ground. Raven marched out the door and into the living room, her luggage following close behind. As she reached the foot of the stairs, the luggage dropped from the air and crumpled on the ground.
"Done," said Raven to herself, giving a breath of relief.
"I'm done, too," came a voice. The demon whirled around to find Beast Boy walking to her. He flopped down on the couch.
"After all, I'm staying here!" He grinned and flipped on the television. Raven growled under her breath.
"Don't think this will solve anything," she said coldly. Beast Boy ignored her. "Yep," he mumbled "But I'm going to enjoy it here without you." Raven's eyes narrowed, and she felt anger rising to her head. "Good thing I'm leaving for Alaska then," she said, her voice shaking noticeably.
"Oh, and could you hand me a bag of popcorn?" asked the shape-shifter with a slight smirk. The loud blaring of the TV was all that Raven could handle. An box of popcorn packets crackled through the air and smacked Beast Boy on the head. The boy toppled over onto the floor and he fell to his knees, clutching his head.
"Ow…" he coughed out, rising slowly from the floor. "Jeez, what was that for?"
"There you go," said Raven through clenched teeth. "Need some butter with that?"
Beast Boy shook his head, and slowly rose to his feet. "But I could use a glass of milk," he muttered sarcastically under his breath. Unfortunately for him, Raven heard it.
"You are so pushing it, Beast Boy." The girl directed her powers to her smallest suitcase, and it was flung towards the shaken shape-shifter. But this time, the boy was ready. The suitcase flew and hit only the opposite wall, for Beast Boy had shifted into a mouse. He scurried over to the couch and morphed back. Raven's suitcase open, and its contents spilled out over the floor.
"I've had it with you, Beast Boy!" she cried. The door swung open, and Raven ran outside, her undamaged suitcases following her. When the last bag was out, the door shut forcefully. Beast Boy reverted back to his normal form, and quickly made his way to the window. He could see nothing but Raven's black cape billowing in the wind and her luggage (surrounded in black energy of course) as she took off for the airport.
The boy sighed, and dropped back onto the couch, almost lifelessly. That was really rude of you, Beast Boy, muttered an inward voice. Even Raven didn't deserve that. I'll tell her sorry when she gets back.
Suddenly, Beast Boy eyed Raven's suitcase, which she had thrown at him. The girl had forgotten it in her fury, and left without it.
Or maybe sooner, he thought with a grin.
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"Venice?" questioned Starfire as she walked with Robin to the airport. "Why did you choose Venice as our destination?" In her hands she clutched a petite suitcase filled with her belongings.
"Because, uh, Star, Venice has good views." He walked casually beside her, clutching a rather large bag. "And besides, I want us to have a good time while Raven and Beast Boy are sorting it out." He chuckled.
Starfire shot him a confused look. "But how will Raven and Beast Boy make up with each other if they are separated?"
"You'll see, Starfire," Robin said. "Raven and Beast Boy will find a way to get back together."
"I still do not understand."
"I'll explain it on the plane."
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An irked Raven landed smoothly on the paved ground, and took a long breath. The journey to the airport was extremely tiring- especially with the added weight of her luggage, not to mention that the Titans Tower was an extremely long distance away from the airport itself. That drained most of Raven's powers for the day, and the girl was pooped. As each one of her bags dropped from the air, the girl sat down on the marble floor (Ooh, nice and smooth, she remarked silently) and surveyed her surroundings. The airport was large- the setting sun set a huge shadow off of the tall building, and departing planes wrote lines of smoke across the air as they zoomed across the sky. The air itself was growing colder, and Raven, not having time to pack a good jacket, felt the drop in temperature almost immediately. Shivering uncontrollably, she wandered through the doors of the port, her bags following her again.
As she proceeded down the long and crowded halls, she was the center of attention from onlookers- but Raven didn't mind. The people seemed to be fascinated by the floating luggage (but who can blame them?). Finally, the psychic found her gate, and she settled in a seat, her luggage by her feet. She sighed, and closed her eyes, trying to meditate a little to revive her near exhausted powers. She loved closing her eyes- after all, they gave her shelter from the outside world, and not to mention the peaceful black that allowed her to concentrate and think.
"Hey, what's up!" came a familiar voice. Raven's eyes flashed open. "Beast Boy?" She asked, almost hopefully.
"Uh, no. I'm Kevin. But close enough!" "Kevin" grinned. Raven looked the boy up and down. Teenager, about her age. He had jet-black hair, brown eyes that were nearly invisible beneath thick glasses, and was currently overexcited that he had found a new friend. Probably a horny guy who's trying to pick up a lonely girl, she assessed mindlessly. Better get rid of him quick.
"Who's Beast Boy?"
"None of your business," said Raven sourly. A trace of disappointment woven in her monotonous voice could be heard, and Raven scolded herself mentally. "Kindly leave me alone, I'm not really having a good day." Having that said, the girl softly closed her eyes once more.
Kevin was hardly taken back at the psychic's rude remark. "Bad day, huh?" he asked, taking a seat beside her. "Yeah, me too. My friends ditched me outside the parking lot."
Raven didn't say anything. "Please, can you go away," she said with a raspy voice. "I don't like to be disturbed."
"Well, we're both waiting for a plane, so we might as well get to know each other! We might even be on the same flight!"
"Oh, joy."
"Now boarding, flight 637 to Alaska," said a monotonous voice over the loudspeaker.
Thank god, thought Raven as she hurried to the gateway. Saved! Once she was cleared, the girl fled down the hallway, her luggage fumbling through the air behind her. Not once did she look back at her home-the city of the Teen Titans. And she remorse flooded her once she was safely inside the plane. Feeling a tremor of sadness, the psychic gazed out the small circular window of the plane, and surveyed the city one last time before she was gone for two weeks. To Alaska, she reminded herself bitterly. This cannot possibly get any worse. Desperate for some reassurance, Raven closed her eyes once again, hoping with all her heart that she could be reminded what the word 'peace' was like. Unfortunately for Raven, luck was not on her side that day.
"Now, how coincidental is this!"
Without opening her eyes, Raven already knew what was in store for her. With a sigh, she mumbled, "Nice to see you again." She half-heartedly motioned to the seat next to her.
"Yeah! I know!" Kevin dropped into her neighboring seat, and flashed her a huge smile. "So we're both going to Alaska!" He dropped a large suitcase onto the floor and donned a thick coat.
"I guessed that."
"Well, this is going to be fun!"
"I'm positive of that."
"We get to spend four hours together on the same plane. Wow!"
"I absolutely cannot believe the good luck."
Raven cocked her head to give the persistent boy a stare of death.
"I'm just going to listen to music now."
Kevin left it at that, finally taking notice of his neighbor's sarcastic remarks. He quietly rummaged through his backpack, and grabbed a MP3 player. He popped a disk into it, and began to listen to it, humming the tune softly.
Thank god.
The teen pulled up her hood, quietly thanking the merciful gods for the silence. A quiet rumble signaled the start of the plane, and Raven braced herself for take off. With a low rumbling of the engines firing up, the plane slowly took off into the sky and off the city of the Titans.
"Alaska," murmured Raven as she gazed out the window. "Here I come." She opened her translator book and began to memorize.
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A thin green boy burst through the doors of the airport, inadvertently drawing the attention of several passersby. They shook their heads quietly in disapproval.
"When is the next flight to Alaska?!" demanded Beast Boy, slamming Raven's luggage on the desk. The clerk, taken by surprise, quickly cleared her throat and muttered, "Not for another 90 minutes, sir." Beast Boy groaned, and heaved Raven's suitcase off the counter. Mumbling his thanks, he hurriedly bolted from the airport.
"ARG! This sucks!" he cried out to no one. "Where am I going to get a plane now? I can't fly all the way to Alaska!" He glanced down at Raven's suitcase in his gloved hand. "Oh, well…"
The shape-shifter somberly headed home, taking to the skies with the suitcase wrapped tightly between his talons.
"I just hope it won't be too late to gain her forgiveness…"
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Yes, yes it's much shorter than usual. But I don't have a whole lot of time on my hands. Expect an update around the end of school or earlier. Sorry to keep you waiting!
ReViEw!